You know what makes a terrific Valentine's Day present? Theater tickets. And there's no shortage of choices this month, with both Dallas and Fort Worth filling up the calendar with openings.
In order of start date, here are 14 local shows to watch this month:
Lonesome Blues
Circle Theatre, through February 11
Lonesome Blues is the celebration of the legendary local bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson. Born blind but ultimately able to express his deepest emotions through music, Jefferson was discovered on a street corner in Deep Ellum in 1925. He made more than 80 records over the next four years, becoming one of the most prolific and influential performers of his generation and propelling the growth of rhythm and blues, soul, doo-wop, rap, and hip-hop.
The Play That Goes Wrong
WaterTower Theatre, through February 12
Stage West, February 16-March 5
The Olivier Award-winning comedy is a hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous, with an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines).
Charlotte's Web
Casa Mañana, February 4-19
Charlotte, who proves to be “a true friend and a good writer,” is determined to save Wilbur. She begins her campaign with the “miracle” of her web in which she writes, “Some pig.” It’s the beginning of a victorious campaign which ultimately ends with the now-safe Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte.
Pretty Woman
Broadway at the Bass, February 7-12
Based on one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories, Pretty Woman: The Musical springs to life with a powerhouse creative team led by two-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. The production features an original score by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and a book by the movie’s director, Garry Marshall, and screenwriter, J. F. Lawton.
Unchain My Heart: The Music of Ray Charles
Casa Mañana, February 7-18
Often called the “Genius,” Ray Charles pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950s, combining blues, gospel, R&B, rock, country music, and jazz to create groundbreaking hits such as “Unchain My Heart,” “I’ve Got a Woman,” and “What I’d Say.”
Native Gardens
Dallas Theater Center, February 9-26
You can’t choose your neighbors. In this brilliant, contemporary comedy, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies. Pablo, a rising attorney, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, have just purchased a home next to Frank and Virginia, a well-established D.C. couple with a prize-worthy English garden. But an impending barbecue for Pablo’s colleagues and a delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spiral into an all-out border dispute, exposing both couples’ notions of race, taste, class, and privilege.
The 1619 Project: One-Act Play Festival
Bishop Arts Theatre Center, February 9-26
Nine local and nationally celebrated playwrights were commissioned to pen a one-act play, no longer than 20 minutes, based on Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author Nikole Hannah-Jones’ The 1619 Project. This one-act festival will weave together stories that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America. Participating playwrights include Anyika McMillan-Herod, Erin Malone Turner, Terrance Brooks Boykin, Janelle Gray, Aaron Zilbermann, Cain Rodriguez, Zoe Kerr, Jacqueline Salit, and Jared Glenn.
Sexy Laundry
Soul Rep Theatre Company, February 10-18
Armed with a copy of Sex for Dummies, Alice and Henry check themselves into a trendy spa hotel with a mission: to jump-start their 25-year marriage. They share their erotic fantasies, exchange recriminations, and take turns confessing the details of their mid-life crises as the play flips from comedic to serious and back again.
Endlings
Dallas Children's Theater, February 10-19
The final production of Cry Havoc Theater Company, Endlings is a thought-provoking play that tackles climate change, social justice, grief, the pandemic, art, and much more with frank, youthful honesty.
JC Amaté
Ochre House Theater, February 10-25
In this new, surreal comedy, written and directed by Carla Parker, a lonely man bends time and space with his beautiful origami animals. Audiences can step into his private world of mayhem and curiosity, but can he control what he creates?
Spaceman
Amphibian Stage, February 10-March 5
Spaceman is a full-sensory, surround-sound expedition into outer space that follows Molly Jennis’ solo mission to Mars after her husband’s failed, tragic attempt at the same journey. This production will be the first since the world premiere at New York City’s Loading Dock Theatre in 2019.
Divine Femme
La Ti Do DFW, February 15
Centered around songs and stories of strength and resilience, the event features Devin Berg, Ashley Puckett Gonzalez, KJ James, Chris Sanders, and Merrill West, and will be hosted by Sarah Powell with music direction by James McQuillen.
Aida
Lyric Stage, February 15-19
Based on the Verdi opera of the same name, this epic tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal chronicles the story of an enslaved Nubian princess who finds her heart entangled with Radames, an Egyptian soldier who is betrothed to the Pharaoh's daughter, Amneris. As their forbidden love blossoms, Aida is forced to weigh her heart against the responsibility that she faces as the leader of her people.
Man Cave
Kitchen Dog Theater, February 16-March 5
Imaculada gathers her friends in a fortress-like mansion belonging to her absent employer, a wealthy Republican Congressman. Together, the four women convert his luxurious basement man cave into their own spiritual war room and protective sanctuary from the violence of men, both real and supernatural.
To DIE:GO in Leaves, by Frida Kahlo
Cara Mía Theatre, February 18-March 12
Inspired by Kahlo’s paintings and biography, this is a journey through the lifetime of Mexico’s most famous painter and a worldwide icon. It tells a story as much through movement and imagery as dialogue, and performances in English and Spanish will be in repertory, with six performances in English and five in Spanish.
